Big Time Nightmare
by Misunderstood Scribe
Summary: The residents of the Palm Woods led an idyllic life; until a deranged killer began a bloody rampage...
1. Chapter 1: The Damsel's Demise

**Chapter 1: The Damsel's Demise**

'Finally, back home,' Jo Taylor exhaled with a tinge of relief as soon as her plane touched down at Los Angeles International Airport. The sparkly stars in the night sky seemed to be welcoming her back. After three long years shooting for a movie in faraway New Zealand, she couldn't wait to see her best friends again. Although they did communicate with each other on Skype, somehow it just wasn't the same. Perhaps it was the awkward time difference, or maybe it was the complete absence of skin to skin contact with each other. But most of all, Jo missed her beloved boyfriend, Kendall Knight. She missed his infectious laugh, his soothing touch, his warm bear hugs. As she walked through the throngs at the airport, Jo subconsciously started to smile just at the thought of Kendall. Even after three years, her love for him hadn't died out. 'Well, except for that time when..,' a little voice in her head said. 'Shut up.. No one needs to know about that..,' Jo snarled in her head. Jo was still arguing with the voice in her head when she suddenly heard an extremely high-pitched squeal.

'Jo, over here!' yelled Camille Roberts while bouncing around like a five year old at a playground. Her screams attracted the attention of many people around her, but she ignored their stares of disdain by acting like they didn't exist. Jo shook her head and smiled. Camille hadn't changed a bit. Jo ran towards her best friend and embraced her tightly. 'Camille, you've no idea how much I've missed you!' Jo happily exclaimed. 'Me too!' Camille squealed loudly, eliciting more annoyed grumbles from the masses around them. 'Lighten up, alright! I haven't seen her for three whole years!' Camille shouted in retaliation towards the crowd with a stern visage. But that stony look evaporated as Camille focused her attention back on Jo. 'Come on, let's get back to the Palm Woods. We'll have the best sleepover ever! Just the two of us.. Oh wait, the three of us, 'coz Lucy is coming too.. We'll watch horror movies till tomorrow morning, and smear chocolate all over the faces of anyone who falls asleep, and have pillow fights..,' Camille rambled on and on enthusiastically. 'Camille.. Camille.. Camille!' Jo tried to get her peppy companion's attention. 'What?' 'Listen, that all sounds absolutely amazing, and I can't wait, but before that, I.. I just thought that.. that maybe before I go for the sleepover..' Jo stammered, trying to word her request carefully so as to not offend Camille. 'Lemme guess, you wanna see a certain blond hunk first?' another familiar voice said from behind Jo.

'Lucy!' Jo ran towards her other best friend, rocker chick Lucy Stone. They hugged each other tightly, giggling vivaciously. 'Ok, enough of that. Am I right or am I right?' Lucy asked Jo with a knowing smirk on her face. Jo sheepishly bowed her head and nodded slightly. 'Well, that's really sweet and all, but Kendall and the other boys have a concert tonight. They won't be back till tomorrow,' Lucy told Jo with a comforting smile. 'Oh, ok.. I guess we can go for the sleepover now,' Jo dejectedly said. The girls then proceeded to Lucy's white Chevy Malibu. They drove back to the Palm Woods in relative silence; Jo thinking about Kendall, Camille and Lucy not wanting to intrude on their friend's train of thought.

It was nearly midnight by the time they got to the Palm Woods. Camille, Jo and Lucy walked up to apartment 3B, Lucy's very own apartment and the venue of their sleepover. They entered the apartment, and Jo was immediately bombarded by sweet memories and special events that occurred in this very room. Where the three girls bonded and became best friends; where Logan failed to solve an algebraic equation for the first time ever; where Carlos accidentally caused a cupboard to collapse, breaking Lucy's wrist in the process; where the whole gang dressed up in regal Indian raiments and danced their hearts out to an energetic Bollywood number. She chuckled, remembering all her friends' hilarious antics. 'Hey Jo, Lucy and I are gonna go out to get some snacks. Wanna come with?' Camille asked whilst stepping out the door. 'Nah, I'll just stay here to rest. Jet lag, y'know?' Jo said as she flopped onto the bed. Camille nodded sympathetically and left.

Once they were gone, Jo started to look around the apartment space, marvelling at the changes Lucy had done. Lucy had mentioned that she did some redecorating, but never did Jo envision anything like this. Nate Berkus couldn't have done it better. Jo's attention focused onto an ornate mirror on one of the walls. She strode towards it and frowned. She didn't like the look of the mirror. It was much too frilly. As Jo was about to turn away from the mirror, she noticed something strange. The reflection in the mirror showed Jo that the door was slightly ajar. She went to check and true enough, the door was open. Jo was confused. She distinctly remembered Camille shutting the door as she left. 'Then how could it..,' Jo shook it off. She shut the door and continued her inspection of Lucy's room.

She saw a bunch of cosmetics arranged meticulously on Lucy's dresser. Jo snickered, surprised that a rocker owned such 'girly' items. Jo took a mink brush and started to carelessly apply bronzer on her face. She giggled childishly, aware that she probably looked terrible. Her eyelids fluttered open, and her eyes widened in utter horror.

Standing behind the terrified blonde stood a tall sable-clad figure. There wasn't an inch of skin exposed, as the thing was completely covered. Jo heart started hammering when she noticed what it was gripping in its right hand; a curved machete. Jo said a silent hymn, inhaled deeply, and dashed for the door. She tried turning the knob, but to her horror, it was locked. Jo furiously pounded on the door, crying for help, but to no avail. No one seemed to hear her desperate screams. When she turned around, Jo saw that the creep wasn't running for her at all. Instead, he was sadistically skulking towards her, as if convinced she was done for. Jo crouched on the floor, her back facing a corner of the room. She wailed and weeped, pleading for someone's help. The thing reached out for Jo's neck, and held her up high. Jo valiantly tried fighting back, aiming punches at the cruel killer. But it didn't even seem to notice Jo's attacks. It flung Jo like a rag doll, who hit Lucy's dresser with a sickening crunch. Perfume bottles smashed onto Jo, covering her with cuts and bruises.

Jo repressed the sharp stabs of pain all over her body. She tried to escape by crawling away, but even her piteous state didn't deter the murderer. It kicked Jo in the abdomen and chest. Jo immediately felt an agonizing pain, and knew that it was no use. She was in no condition to defend herself, not anymore. She started sobbing; praying for her life, wishing that Camille and Lucy would return and save her. The evil figure grabbed the whimpering Jo by her flaxen locks, and pulled her face close. 'Wanna see what heaven's like?' it croaked.

* * *

A few hours later, Camille and Lucy strolled into the apartment. 'Sorry we're late, Jo. Someone had to have an accident at the store,' Lucy said sarcastically. 'Hey, it wasn't my fault alright! The stack of boxes was really unstable!' Camille retorted with a huff before rushing into the bathroom. 'Whatever. Anyway, we had to rearrange every single cereal box before we could leave. But now that we're here, let's get.. Whoa, what happened here?' Lucy was stunned. Her neat room looked like a tornado passed through it. 'Hey Jo, where are you? You are so gonna pay for trashing my room!' Lucy shouted when she didn't hear any replies from Jo. 'She probably went to 2J just to see if Kendall's back,' Camille said from inside the bathroom. 'Oh, alri.. Camille?' 'What?' Camille asked. 'Call 911,' Lucy said in a strangely quiet voice. 'Wait, 911? Why?' "Just do it!' Stephanie shouted frantically. Camille was baffled at her friend's sudden change in character and stepped out of the bathroom.

She saw Lucy staring at something, a blank emotionless look on her face. Camille couldn't see the object that had captured Lucy's attention, as the bed obscured the view. So, Camille walked toward the thing, and her jaw dropped. Camille rushed into the bathroom and starting vomiting into the toilet bowl, tears streaking down her face. Camille's howls of grief caused Lucy to break out of her trance. She grabbed her cell phone and started dialling. 'Hello, 911? I'm gonna need an ambulance and some police dudes.. Of course it's an emergency!' Lucy shrieked while trying to keep her eyes off the nauseating sight behind her. 'I think my best friend's.. dead.'


	2. Chapter 2: Interrogative Torture

Police cars and ambulances surrounded the Palm Woods on the following day. Many policemen were sealing off the Palm Woods grounds, to prevent any unwanted paparazzi episodes. The death of a famous actress drew those annoying vultures like ants to a sugar cube. Already they were swarming the area, numbering in the thousands, begging to get just one picture of the corpse, or just a few words with one of the Palm Woods residents. Officer Alexander Henderson sighed in sorrow. Didn't those people have any sympathy for the poor girl? Someone's daughter, sister, best friend, girlfriend; just snuffed out of mortal existence. Officer Alex pitied the horrified family and friends of the girl, Josephine Taylor. As time passed, Officer Alex thought about those poor distraught individuals more and more. Finally, he decided to go have a few words with them.

As Officer Alex stepped into the lobby, he saw all of them assembled in a corner of the luxurious area. His colleague, Officer Denise Lee was strutting in front of them, spitting out questions with rapid-fire delivery. He stepped closer, noticing that most of them were sobbing and sniffling, obviously still in shock. Officer Alex winced as he heard Officer Denise callously interrogating them, uncaring for their woe. 'That girl really has to learn to feel empathy,' Officer Alex thought in his mind. 'Hey Denise, I'll take it from here. Go monitor the situation outside and make sure no one gets in. The last thing we need now is a bunch of heartless photographers storming the area,' Officer Alex told the younger policewoman. Officer Denise nodded and marched out the door.

'Sorry 'bout her insensitivity. She's not that good with people,' Officer Alex apologized. 'No, it's alright. We want the creep who did this to Jo behind bars as soon as possible, anyway,' a redheaded woman said firmly as she stood up, wiping tears off her cheeks with a silk hanky. "Jennifer Knight, at your service,' she introduced herself to Officer Alex as she smiled warmly. 'I know. I saw a dossier with all details about this case when I first came here this morning. I'm Officer Alexander Henderson,' he replied. 'Ok, first of all, I wanna say that I'm really sorry about your loss. She must've been a great person,' Officer Alex said to the whole congregation. 'The best,' a skinny long-haired brunette muttered. 'Camille Roberts,' Officer Alex thought. 'I'm sure of it. Anyway, who was with Jo during the last few hours?' A girl with black eyeliner spoke up. 'Camille and I were. We picked her up from the airport and dropped her off at Camille's apartment. Then we went to the convenience store to get some snacks. When we got back..' The girl's voice cracked and she fell silent. She ran a finger through her red and black hair. 'Lucy Stone,' Officer Alex recognized. 'Did you see anything suspicious? Anything at all?', he continued. 'Like what?' Lucy asked, slightly annoyed. 'I dunno, a figure sprinting away?' 'Nope,' she replied.

'Come on, think hard, both of you.. There must have been something you saw.. Anything would be helpful.. Come on..' 'Stop it, ok!' a hoarse voice cried out. Everyone's eyes rested on the source of the outburst; a lanky blond boy glaring angrily at Officer Alex. 'Kendall Knight,' Officer Alex identified. 'They're saying that they didn't see anything, so lay off!' he yelled. 'Kendall, there's no need for melodramatics. I'm just trying to find additional information. Anything would be helpful for us right now,' Officer Alex explained. Kendall still wasn't satisfied. 'If you want additional info, go search the room where the murder happened! Stop torturing us. Besides.. we're already in pain..' Officer Alex suddenly felt sorry for Kendall. He hadn't seen his girlfriend for three years, and to only catch a glimpse of her dead corpse after all that time.. The poor boy must be bawling inside.

'Ok, I understand, and I'm sorry.. Now boys, where were you last night?' 'Umm, at a concert. We only got back this morning,' a handsome young man said. Officer Alex recognized him as James Diamond. Sitting on James's lap with his head on his shoulder was a tearful Logan Mitchell. "How exactly.. did Jo..,' he whispered sadly, unable to complete his sentence. 'Did you mean, how exactly did Jo die?' Officer Alex guessed. Logan nodded slowly. 'Well, the autopsy results haven't come back yet, but based on my guess, the cause of death was probably asphyxiation,' Officer Alex clarified. Beside the couple was a tan Latino whom Officer Alex identified as Carlos Garcia. 'Umm, English please?' Carlos asked, a little confused. 'It means that she was.. strangled..,' Logan explained. 'Oh.' Silence befell the room, and Officer Alex continued his interrogation, anxious to clear the air. 'How about you, Jenny?' Officer Alex queried Jenny Tinkler. 'Who, me? I was at a pizzeria, on a.. date.' 'Anyone who can prove your claim?' 'Umm, not that I know of..' 'Umm, what about the guy you were dating?' a young girl sitting next to Camille asked with a hint of scorn. 'Thank you, Katie Knight,' Officer Alex said with a smile, and focused his attention back on the nervous Jenny. 'Umm, well.. I guess.. It's just..' 'Stop stammering, Jenny.. Just tell us who you were with,' a chubby boy said, trying to calm the flustered girl. 'Oh, shut up Tyler!' Jenny yelled. 'Jenny, is there something you're hiding from us?' Officer Alex asked. He was confused by the girl's reaction to his question. Perhaps it was her who did it..

'OK, I was on a date with Bitters!' Jenny screeched. A simultaneous gasp of surprise and disgust escaped everyone's mouth. 'I knew it! I told you guys!' Katie exclaimed triumphantly. 'I can explain! See, I kinda needed some money, and Bitters said that..' 'Ok, I get it!' Officer Alex yelled, stopping Jenny's horrifying revelation. 'I'll contact Mr Bitters to confirm your story. What about you, Katie?' 'I was with my mom, making cookies. Which provides an alibi for the three of us,' Katie nonchalantly said. 'Three?' 'Oh, Tyler was there too,' Katie added quickly. 'Hiding from my mom, again,' Tyler explained with a shrug. 'Ok, that'll be all. Thanks for your cooperation. I'd suggest you guys get some rest. It's been a rough day,' Officer Alex said before walking out of the lobby.

Officer Alex noted everything down and frowned. There was a seemingly solid alibi for each and every one of them, which meant that the killer probably wasn't anyone present in the room just now. He'd just have to pray that his other colleagues got something good from the crime scene.


	3. Chapter 3: A Gallant Warrior's Slaying

It had been several weeks since the horrific murder of Josephine Taylor, and the police were nowhere closer to finding the culprit. The room was completely void of any evidence. The huge splatters of blood all belonged to the victim, and there were absolutely no fingerprints anywhere. The security cameras did capture footage of a black-clad figure exiting Camille's room at midnight, but the low quality rendered it completely useless. Officer Alex was frustrated at their slow progress on the case. He was an extreme workaholic, and swore to never give up until the murderer was found. Which was exactly why he was still sitting at his desk at the police station, even though it was 2 am.

The monitor of his laptop bore into his eyes, words imprinting themselves onto his corneas. He looked through the limited evidence that had been collected at the crime scene for the umpteenth time. But the details yielded no leads, just like the last times Officer Alex had checked. He then proceeded to leaf through the autopsy results. The post-mortem revealed that the cause of death was, as expected, asphyxiation. The bruises and cuts indicated that she was assaulted prior to death, which probably served to weaken her before being murdered. But what was maddening was that all that brought them no closer to solving the case. Officer Alex was deep in thought when his phone rang. He looked at the screen and saw that it was Officer Denise.

'Denise?' Officer Alex said once he picked up the phone. 'Hey Alex, where are you? I tried calling you at home, but you didn't answer. Please don't tell me you're still at work..,' Officer Denise said with a despairing tone. 'Umm..,' Officer Alex hesitated. 'Alex, how many times do I have to remind you? Obsessing over this case isn't gonna do any good..,' Officer Denise grumbled. Officer Alex suddenly felt boiling rage surging through his blood. All the stress he'd been feeling over the past few days were going to erupt. And poor Denise was gonna get caught in the explosion. 'Denise, this is a murder we're talking about! A girl was killed, remember?! And that creep is still out there, walking away scot-free, while we sit around like idiots! You might not care about this Denise, but I do.. So get outta my face, alright?!' As soon as he stopped his outburst, he felt guilt clenching at his heart. Officer Alex swore under his breath. Poor Denise, she didn't deserve that. 'Hey Denise, sorry.. I didn't mean it...' 'It's okay,' Officer Denise uttered quickly. 'You're stressed, I get it,' she said. 'It's just, we're nowhere near solving this case. People are counting on us to bring the murderer to justice,' Officer Alex sighed. 'Well, look on the bright side.. At least the murder seems to be a one-time thing..' Officer Denise replied. Officer Alex had to agree, as it had been more than a month since Jo's homicide. But somehow, he wasn't so sure..

* * *

_'.. Even though several weeks have passed since the gruesome killing of popular teen actress Jo Taylor, there seems to be no progress in the murder investigation. Many have speculated about the lack of action, especially since the police have declined to comment..'_ 'Could you turn that off, Katie?' Kendall asked, slightly annoyed. Fifteen year-old Katie nodded and changed the channel to another rerun of Spongebob. But Kendall still got up from the sofa and stormed into the room, leaving Katie alone in front of the television. Katie sighed sadly. She understood how Kendall felt. It was bad enough that the love of his life was taken away from him. But the media was heartlessly using the death for increased ratings. Every single day, eager journalists and reporters crowded the Palm Woods, badgering the residents for 'a big scoop'. And unsurprisingly, Kendall was the most wanted target. They seemed to love the 'heartbroken boyfriend' angle of the whole incident. Katie couldn't blame her big brother for what he did next, even if Gustavo and Kelly had to spend five hours negotiating a price with the tabloid people to make sure they didn't publish anything about it. Gustavo said that the last thing Kendall needed was a paparazzi confrontation scandal. 'Of course Kendall doesn't need that.. He needs Jo,' Katie muttered to herself.

Just then, the doorbell rang. 'Hey Katie!..,' Kendall shouted from his bedroom, but Katie interrupted him. 'I'll get it,' she said as she got up and walked towards the door. She opened the door and saw a group of teenagers standing before her. They were Kendall's best friends, and had relied on each other's' support during the aftermath of Jo's death. Right now, they were here due to Katie's call for assistance. Katie had a hangout session with Tyler in 10 minutes, and needed some people to keep her brother company. So, she informed Logan, James and Carlos; who lived with the Knight family. They proceeded to get the girls; Camille, Lucy and Jenny. 'Where exactly..' James asked Katie. 'His bedroom, and you're welcome..' Katie uttered confidently, knowing what James was going to ask. They all laughed and walked towards the bedroom. Katie grinned, knowing that Kendall was going to have a great time tonight. Bearing that in mind, she grabbed her sweater and made her way to Tyler's apartment.

'Hey Kendall, can we come in?' James asked softly as he knocked on his door. 'Yeah, I guess..,' he said in reply. The congregation rushed in, anxious to see him. Kendall was reclining face down on his bed, his face smothered by a pillow. Although everyone was affected in some way after the incident, Kendall acted the most depressed. Understandable of course, but they had all taken steps to move on. Kendall on the other hand, seemed to dwell on it every single day. His best friends had to coax him to get out of the apartment, to go to the studio, even to eat. Right now, no one was talking, each unable to start a conversation. Finally, Lucy made the first move. 'Kendall, its' been weeks since we've went out for fun.. Let's go for a movie or something..,' she said, sitting down next to him on his bed. 'Not interested,' Kendall said flatly. 'What else are you gonna do? Mope around in this room?' Logan said, slightly irritated. Kendall lifted his head up, and stared angrily at Logan. 'Why not?' he hissed with a venom-laced voice.

'Why not? Why not?!' Carlos yelled, obviously frustrated by his friend's asinine behaviour. 'Listen, Jo's passing is upsetting to all of us. But we can't put our lives on hold for that! She's gone, Kendall! It's time to move on!' Carlos shouted. Once Carlos stopped his heated tirade, silence blanketed the room. Camille spoke up next, tucking a strand of her dark brown hair behind her ear. 'Alright, we're all gonna go watch a movie in the living room. You can come and spend some quality time with us, or you can stay here and be a loner. Your call.' 'It's Mulan, your favourite. We can even sing along when Reflection starts playing. Lea Salonga's version, not Christina's annoying one!' Jenny said, attempting to lure Kendall out of his irrational sulking. But Kendall just pouted, completely ignoring his friends. 'Whatever,' Carlos muttered as he stormed out of the room, the others following behind him.

* * *

Meanwhile, Katie was having tons of fun back at Tyler's place. His mother was out looking for modelling opportunities, so they had the apartment to themselves. They played board games, ate some chocolate chip cookies that Mrs Duncan baked, and threw water balloons at innocent passers-by from the balcony. Right now, Katie was teaching Tyler all about how stocks work. '.. and that is why it is very wise to invest in the BRIC nations,' Katie finally finished her extremely lengthy 15 minute talk. Tyler had been trying his best to stay awake during the whole thing, so as to not fall asleep and hurt Katie's feelings. But now that she was done, Tyler immediately changed the subject, worried that she might start again about how Africa is the new Asia. 'Let's watch a movie!' he yelled eagerly, and was relieved to see Katie nodding her head in agreement.

They ran to Tyler's living room and jumped onto the colourful beanbags which were scattered all over the floor. Tyler got up to turn the TV on before leaping onto the soft mass of beanbags again. Katie grabbed the remote and started flipping channels, finally settling on a stupid shark movie. Katie stifled a yawn. Movies like these barely interested her, with minimal story lines and no logic. But Tyler seemed to be terrified. He flinched every time a character got mauled by the sharks. Being a good friend, Katie wanted to help poor Tyler. But she didn't want to hurt his male ego by changing the channel. So, she started distracting him by pointing out tiny details. 'Hey, isn't that the McPhee chick from Smash?' 'Whoa, look at that hunk's abs!' Slowly, Tyler started relaxing and smiled gratefully at Katie. 'Thanks Katie..,' he said with a grin, clasping her hand and giving it a squeeze.

Suddenly, Katie felt something weird pulsing through her veins._ 'No way, I've only felt this way for James, a long time ago..,'_ Katie thought. It wasn't a secret that Tyler had a massive crush on Katie. But, this.. was the first time Katie actually felt the same way. Apparently the incident seemed to have an effect on Tyler as well. He caressed Katie's cheek, and moved in for a kiss. Katie's heart raced as she gently placed her lips onto his. Tyler licked Katie's lips, and Katie let his tongue enter her mouth. He explored Katie's mouth, stroking her long brown locks with his fingertips. Katie fondled Tyler's cheeks, enjoying the feeling of his stubbly skin. They continued kissing for quite some time, relishing the romantic moment. However, the situation turned awkward as soon as they stopped. Tyler withdrew his hand from Katie's cheek hurriedly and muttered some lame excuse about going to get some snacks from the pantry, even though several bowls of candy and chips surrounded them. He stood up and walked towards the pantry. Katie stared at him as he went. She realized that Tyler wasn't the short chunky ten year-old kid she met four years ago. Sure, he still was a little chubby around the facial area, but he had an impressive set of abs. He got a decent haircut, and the Los Angeles sun finally tanned his once pasty skin. All in all, Tyler Duncan was quite a good looking guy. She started fantasizing about Tyler shirtless when suddenly, she heard a scream.

Katie raced towards the direction of the scream, and gasped. She saw Tyler unconscious on the floor, his forehead bloody and bruised. But what really scared her was the black clad figure standing next to him. Its back was facing Katie, so it hadn't seen her yet. It held a blood-stained baseball bat in its hand, obviously what it used to bludgeon her Tyler. Katie was dizzy with fear, but somehow she only focused on one thing. _'You just called him as 'your Tyler'..,'_ her mind screamed. 'Yeah, he is my Tyler.. And I'm not gonna let him die..,' she muttered, certain of what to do next. 'Hey, Jason Boarhees! Over here!' Katie yelled. It turned around and stared right at Katie, reminding her just how stupid she was for doing that. Katie starting screaming and ran for the door. But before she could reach it, the thing grabbed her and shoved her to the ground.

It whacked Katie's abdomen with the baseball bat, and she heard her ribs breaking. Katie spat blood out onto the carpet, where it formed a dark scarlet stain. She was terrified when she saw the murderer swing the bat again, this time aiming for her head. She shut her eyes, unable to see what was going to cause her death. She waited quite some time, but she felt no pain. She opened her eyelids to see what was happening, and got the shock of her life. She saw that her Tyler had knocked the madman unconscious. He smirked at Katie, who rushed towards him. 'I thought you were dead,' she cried into Tyler's chest. 'You're not getting rid of me that easy..,' he replied. Katie and Tyler looked into each other's eyes, and closed in for another kiss. Just as their lips touched, Tyler yelled in agony.

Katie was horrified when she saw that the killer has regained consciousness, and had just bashed Tyler's head with the bat again. To Katie's amazement, Tyler spun around and started fighting with the maniac. 'Go, Katie! Go get help!' he yelled at the astonished Katie as he gallantly fought. 'No! I am not leaving you alone with this madman!' Katie shouted back. 'Katie, please! I can take care of myself..,' he said confidently. Katie still didn't budge, worried for her best friend, and possible boyfriend. 'Just go, I'll be fine..,' Tyler said with a smile, assuring Katie. Katie smiled anxiously at Tyler and said, 'I'll be back in 2 minutes..'

As Katie rushed out the door, Tyler continued his struggle against the killer. The bludgeoning he received on his head was taking its toll. His reflexes were affected, as was his logical reasoning. But he couldn't lose. Losing meant death. And worse, losing meant never seeing his Katie ever again. Tyler smiled as he thought of Katie. Dear, sweet Katie. He couldn't pinpoint exactly when he fell for the precocious brunette, but he did. And today, she seemed to feel the same way about him. Just his luck that a maniacal murderer decided to attack them today. _'Oh well, at least Katie will be back with help soon,'_ he thought as he adeptly blocked the killer's aimed punches and kicks, thanks to his karate training. Tyler could manage against his opponent, but he wasn't sure for how long.

As he blocked one of the killer's left hooks, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his temple. Tyler groaned and fell to the floor. He tried standing up, but the killer grabbed a nearby screwdriver and jammed it into Tyler's thigh. He screamed piercingly as blood squirted out at a speedy rate. He learnt enough from Science class to know that a few major arteries passed through the thigh. He was sure that the screwdriver had just pierced one. The killer then went to the kitchen and took a large knife. He prowled around Tyler, who was unable to move due to the extreme pain. Tyler shut his eyes, and started reminiscing about all the happy things that had ever happened to him. He wanted his last thoughts to be nice, not about this maniac. Tyler imprinted Katie Knight's beautiful face in his mind, just as the killer brought the knife down onto his throat.

* * *

Kendall's friends were lounging around the living room. Most of them were watching the people of China bow before Mulan on the television screen. A few had fallen asleep long ago. Throughout the entire two hours that they had been at Room 2J, Kendall did not leave his room at all. Most of them had given up on coaxing Kendall to come out and have some fun, but Lucy and Camille were still knocking on his door. They remained unsuccessful. 'Oh, give it up, you two! He's not gonna come outta there..,' Carlos shouted bitterly. 'Yeah, Carlos has a point,' Logan said. 'We know..,' Camille admitted. The two girls returned to the couch, where they had to shove Jenny's sleeping body out of their seats. Just as they sat down, the door burst open. Everyone gasped in horror as they looked at Katie's dishevelled state. Her hair was a mess, as were her clothes. She was teary-eyed, and blood streaked her face and hands. 'Katie, what happened?' James asked anxiously. Everyone ran towards Katie, trying to find out what had happened. 'No, no, not me!' she said desperately. 'You've gotta help Tyler! He being attacked, by Jo's murderer!'.


	4. Chapter 4: Tension Mounts

_ 'Dead.. Dead.. Dead..'_ Those ominous words repeated in little Katie Knight's mind. 'He's dead. You'll never go to prom with him. You'll never hyperventilate when he gets down on one knee and proposes to you. You'll never lose your virginity to him. You'll never bear his kids. You'll never grow old together. Never, never, never!' Katie's mind screamed. She still couldn't come to terms with the fact that her best friend/semi-boyfriend died, in her very own arms. As she thought about it, her mind floated back to that horrific moment..

* * *

'Come on, we don't have much time!' Katie screamed frantically while racing towards Tyler's apartment. Behind her, Logan, James, Carlos, Camille, Lucy and Jenny ran as fast as they could. As soon as Katie told them about Tyler's dire condition, they immediately followed Katie, to help Tyler face the fiend. None of them wanted Tyler to suffer the same fate Jo did. Katie was far ahead, running towards the room. She was panting heavily, but she didn't care. Katie pushed on and on, not stopping for a second. She wanted to make sure her sweetheart was alright. All she hoped for was that they weren't too late. The rest of the congregation ran up the seemingly endless flights of stairs. They didn't want to waste precious time waiting for the elevator. Katie had gone out of their sight a while ago, running much faster than the others. Finally, they reached Tyler's floor. They ran towards his apartment and prepared themselves for battle against the killer. But what they saw when they reached the apartment brought tears to their eyes.

Katie was kneeling on the floor, tears welling up in her almond-shaped eyes. Lying in her tight embrace was Tyler Duncan, a sharp knife embedded deep in his throat. Death was imminent for the young boy, whose breathing was already getting erratic. Katie was sobbing and whispering sweet nothings into Tyler's ears. Tyler looked into Katie's tear-filled eyes, and smiled warmly. He slowly lifted his hand and placed it on Katie's cheek, wiping away the tears. Tyler then mouthed out the very words Katie had always dreamt of. 'I love you too..,' Katie whispered before laying a kiss on his forehead. As soon as Katie lifted her lips off Tyler's sweaty skin, she heard him heave deeply. His hand which, up to that point, had been on Katie's cheek, fell limply towards the ground. Katie started screaming hysterically, clutching Tyler tightly to her chest. Logan stepped towards her and tried soothing her, to no luck. A few minutes later, the police officers arrived at the scene, collecting Tyler's lifeless corpse. _'Goodbye, Tyler..'_ she thought.

Katie's thoughts returned to the present, and she burst into tears. Her piercing wails brought her mother running. Mrs Knight burst into Katie's room and pulled Katie into her arms. She held her daughter close to her chest and whispered consoling words in her ear. 'Mom, it's all my fault! He.. died because of me!' Katie howled. 'It's not your fault, sweetie. It's not your fault,' Mrs Knight replied in a seemingly futile effort to calm the depressed girl. Just then, someone knocked on Katie's door. James nonchalantly swung the door open, but shrunk back awkwardly when he saw the private and personal mother-daughter activity which was going on. 'What is it, James?' Mrs Knight inquired. 'Umm, really sorry to intrude. It's just that Officer Alex wants to have a few words with Katie,' he said with a sympathetic face. Mrs Knight's heart started hammering. Her daughter was in a very fragile state. She just didn't feel comfortable subjecting the poor girl to police interrogation, not now. But the logical part of her brain kicked into action. 'She did manage to look at the killer with her own eyes. She might be able to help solve this case, and put that animal behind bars,' she thought. 'Hey Katie? You feel like going?' she asked her daughter, to ensure she didn't do the wrong thing. Katie looked at her mother and nodded slightly.

* * *

'Katie, thanks for agreeing to this. Your eyewitness account would be very..,' 'Yeah, yeah. Cut to the chase, will you?' Katie interrupted Officer Alex with a tinge of annoyance. 'Very well then. Your friends have already told me every detail of yesterday's incident,' Officer Alex said. 'We didn't want to disturb you over nothing,' Jenny piped up. The rest nodded in agreement. They were all seated on a couch in the lobby. 'Yes, very thoughtful of them. But their explanation lacks one thing, a first-hand description of the killer himself. This is something only you can provide. So, if you don't mind, could you describe what the killer looked like?' Katie shut her eyes, in an attempt to remember exactly what the murderer looked like, every little detail. 'Umm, he was completely covered in black clothes. And I mean completely covered, even his face and hands,' Katie explained. 'Anything else?' Officer Alex asked. He had hoped for more. This was quite possibly the best lead they had on this case. Katie scrunched her eyebrows again, thinking hard. Suddenly, her face lit up and she yelled, 'Oh yeah! Now I remember!' 'What?' Officer Alex asked, excitement rushing through his veins. 'When the killer was fighting with Tyler, one of his gloves fell off. And I distinctly remember seeing a pale, white-skinned hand,' she uttered. 'So, the killer's a Caucasian?' Carlos asked. 'That seems to be the case,' Officer Alex said. 'Well, that kinda narrows it down,' he replied, slightly happy. 'Caucasians are the largest racial group in the US, accounting for more than 70 percent of the entire population, Carlos. That's still a lot of people,' Logan explained. Carlos' happy glow diminished after listening to Logan's explanation.

'Alright boys. This is still a good lead. We'll be working really hard to solve this case. But until then, you guys better stay safe. It's obvious that this killer is targeting the residents of the Palm Woods. So, keep each other protected, alright?' Officer Alex said while getting up. 'Wait, you mean the killer's gonna come after one of us next?' Lucy asked with a shocked expression. 'Well, if you look at it logically..' Camille screamed, as Jenny fainted and slumped to the floor. The faces of everyone else in the room were exactly alike, painted with fear. Just then, Officer Alex's cell phone rang. 'Hello, Officer Denise? Yeah? Good Lord, really?! I'll be right there!' Officer Alex pumped his fist in the air, definitely exhilarated. 'What happened?' Mr Knight asked curiously. Officer Alex grinned and said, 'Officer Denise just found fingerprints on the screwdriver which was used to stab Tyler's thigh. She's bringing it back to the lab for testing right now.'

* * *

Officer Denise just couldn't believe her luck. After the slow progress they had on this case, finding the murderer's fingerprints was just fantastic. She just couldn't wait to get back to the lab and run some tests on the screwdriver she now held in a small plastic Ziploc bag. Hopefully, they might be able to use the evidence to pinpoint the killer. _'As soon as I get back to the crime lab,'_ she thought. Right now, Officer Denise was still walking towards her car in the car park. She had just gotten off the phone with her colleague, Officer Alex. She giggled as she remembered how excited he sounded over the find. As Officer Denise was walking to her car, she accidentally tripped on a glass drink bottle in her way. She cursed silently as she got up, dusting the dirt and sand off her pants. She really needed to have a word with the fat guy who was in charge of the hotel. The inadequate quantity of functioning lamps really posed a danger to people, especially at night. Suddenly, she heard the patter of feet briskly running up towards her direction. Her instincts kicked in and Officer Denise swivelled around to see the source of the sound. She screamed when she saw that a black clad figure was behind her, a machete in his hand. Officer Denise had no time to react, as the killer raised the machete and stabbed her chest savagely, again and again. Only one thing ran through Officer Denise's mind as she was being murdered,_ 'There goes our best chance of solving this.'_


	5. Chapter 5: Paranoia

'Jamie, wake up.. It's almost noon,' Logan said in a sing-song voice. James threw a pillow at him and said, 'Five more minutes, please?' 'No can do, sweetie. You've been saying that for the past hour,' Logan replied with a smirk. But James chose to ignore Logan and returned to dreamland. Time to take drastic measures, Logan thought to himself. He sauntered over to the bed and leaned down to face James. Logan gently kissed both of James' eyelids, followed by two pecks on his cheeks. James smiled and opened his eyes a little. 'That's a good boy. Now, if you promise to get outta bed and into the shower, I'll give you a kiss on the lips,' Logan promised his bleary-eyed boyfriend. James grinned and said, 'I promise,' before lifting his head up to reach Logan's lips. Logan placed his hands on James' well-developed chest, while James squeezed Logan's slim waist. After several minutes, Logan pulled out of the kiss and said, 'Go.' James obediently got out of bed and headed straight for the bathroom. Logan sat on their bed and smiled to himself.

Ever since they started dating almost a year ago, they spent every moment with each other. James made him feel special, made him feel loved. Logan didn't get much of that before James. Like Kendall, Logan's dad passed away when he was very young. His mother was way too busy to spend time with him. Logan spent a lot of time alone with nothing but the television and his books to keep him company. And the loneliness continued at school. Logan wasn't good at socializing, and didn't know how to make friends. Because of that, he spent most of his schooling years friendless. It was in the 6th grade when he finally found a friend. Or rather, a friend found him. During Science class, he was paired up with another boy for a project. Logan didn't particularly like the boy at first. He constantly talked to his mirror as if it was alive, leading Logan to believe that the boy had some kind of mental disorder. But slowly, Logan got to know the boy, and soon they became best friends. One thing led to another, and Logan soon realized that he had feelings for his best friend. Once James publicly came out, it only took a week for Logan to do the same, and the rest was history. Logan giggled, thinking about how that weird little boy became his currently hunky lover.

'Hey Logie, could you pass me that towel?' James asked, bringing Logan back to the present. The bathroom door was slightly open, and James was peeking through the small space. 'James, I know I told you that I wanted to wait before going all the way, but I'm okay with seeing you naked,' Logan said with a giggle. James smirked and walked out of the bathroom to get the towel himself. He then wiped himself dry and put on some clothes. He sprayed some perfume on, before perfecting his silky hair with some hair spray. 'Ready,' James said, turning towards the ever-patient Logan. Logan, who was still sitting on the bed, came up to James and placed a kiss on his cheek, saying, 'Finally. C'mon, I made breakfast.'

James sat down at the table, rubbing his hands in anticipation. Logan was a master in the kitchen, and his creations were always devoured by the others before James could even get a bite. Logan lovingly placed a heaping stack of warm blueberry pancakes drizzled in maple syrup before James. James immediately grabbed a fork and starting wolfing the pancakes down; afraid that the guys might appear at any moment and take away the delicious treats. And since the wonderful aroma permeated the entire apartment, James was convinced they would be here any second. However, several minutes had passed and there was still no sign of the Carlos, Kendall or Katie. 'Hey Logie, where are the others?' James asked curiously. 'Oh, Mrs Knight left a note saying that they went out to do some errands. They'll be back soon,' Logan answered with a smile. James nodded and said, 'Well, while we're waiting, maybe we should hit the pool.' 'My thoughts exactly.'

* * *

Logan and James stepped out of the elevator to a perplexing sight. The Palm Woods lobby was completely deserted. 'Umm, what happened here?' James wondered in confusion. 'Yeah. It's always packed in here,' Logan replied with equal bewilderment. Just then, Bitters walked into the lobby with a depressed look on his face. 'Hey Bitters, what's going on?' James hollered at the stout man. Bitters stared witheringly at James and said, 'What?' "Why does the place look like a ghost town?' Logan asked in an effort to comprehend the situation. 'If you must know, 98 per cent of the Palm Woods residents have moved out today!' Bitters snapped in reply. 'Why?' James asked, more confused than ever. 'Didn't you two hear?' Bitters asked. Logan shook his head to indicate that they hadn't. 'Well, another murder was committed late last night. A police officer this time, in the Palm Woods car park,' Bitters said. 'Officer Alex?' James asked. 'No, the other one. Officer Deborah, or something,' Bitters replied. 'Officer Denise,' Logan breathed gloomily. At that moment, a group of people entered the lobby.

'Good morning, boys,' Mrs Knight greeted them with a somewhat forced smile. 'Where'd you guys go?' Logan queried. 'To comfort Mrs Duncan. She needed a ride to the airport, and she didn't want to use her car. Too many memories..' Carlos said in return. 'Why didn't you wake us up? We could've come too,' James said, pouting slightly. 'Cause you two were too busy snuggling and cuddling, and we didn't want to disturb you,' Katie said with a snicker. Kendall and Carlos started to giggle as well. 'Well, your loss. James got a steaming hot stack of my blueberry pancakes,' Logan said to comfort his blushing boyfriend. The smiles evaporated from their faces, and was replaced with annoying pleas of 'I want some too!'. It was now Logan and James's time to gloat. When the bickering got a little too prolonged, Mrs Knight was forced to intervene. 'Okay, that's enough,' she said sternly. The kids immediately shut up.

'Hey Bitters, how many haven't left yet?' Mrs Knight asked. 'Umm, Lucy Stone in apartment 3B, Camille Roberts in apartment 7G, Jenny Tinkler in apartment 2A, the Jennifers in apartment 4H, and you guys,' Bitters recited from memory. 'What? I need to know who's still foolish enough to stay here,' Bitters defended when everyone stared at him suspiciously. Suddenly, a very familiar voice boomed from behind them. 'Dogs, front and center!' 'Gustavo? What are you doing here?' Carlos asked the boys' opinionated manager. 'Finding you guys a new place to live. We can't be risking your lives now, can we?' Gustavo's pretty assistant, Kelly Wainwright informed them. 'So you got us a new place?' Kendall asked hopefully. 'Umm, not yet,' Kelly said after a brief pause. It was obvious that she felt bad for them. 'I haven't found anywhere suitable yet, so you're just gonna have to rough it out here for a while,' Kelly said apologetically. The group nodded in understanding. 'And another thing. I received a call from some police officer saying that you're all to obey some rules. First, you all have a 9pm curfew. That includes every single one of you,' Kelly said strictly. 'You're also supposed to move around in groups. Never wander around alone.' Kelly paused from her speech, and expectantly looked at Gustavo. When Kelly realized that he had forgotten his part, she elbowed him in the ribs. 'Oww! And all band practice will be temporarily cancelled. Happy?' Gustavo asked Kelly with an irritated voice. The grinning assistant nodded at Gustavo, before turning to the boys and saying, 'Now, go tell your other friends about this.'

* * *

'So, why aren't you guys leaving?' James asked Camille, Jenny and Lucy. The teens were all sitting under a huge oak tree in the Palm Woods Park. 'Umm, my parents left for Osaka two days ago. I don't really have anywhere else to go,' Camille replied. 'Death Smash has a gig for the next two weeks here in LA. I kinda need the money,' Jenny admitted with a slightly sad expression. 'I'm not leavin' my apartment! I spent a lot of time making that dump look good,' Lucy said with a huff. The boys nodded sympathetically, everyone understanding each other's' plight. Even though a serial killer was still on the loose, and they were all in danger; circumstances prevented them from traveling far away as they should. For a few minutes, they sat in utter silence, each adolescent lost in their own thoughts. Peppy Carlos was the first to resume their conversation. 'Hey, you guys wanna go for a movie or something? To clear our minds, y'know?' 'Sure, I think that would be great,' Camille said, Lucy nodding enthusiastically beside her. 'Wait, didn't Kelly explicitly state that we had a curfew?' Kendall noted with a hard voice. 'So? We'll be back soon Kendall. Besides, we'll be with each other. Nothing's gonna happen,' Lucy said reassuringly.'Still, I don't think it's wise for us to do this,' Kendall said. 'What's it to you, huh?' Carlos asked, unsuccessfully trying to hide his agitation. 'Nothing, it's just that..' 'You just have to ruin everyone's fun, don't you?' Carlos yelled at the blond. Kendall stared daggers at the angry Latino, before storming off. Carlos shook his head disapprovingly and walked away, muttering under his breath.

'What about you Logan?' Lucy asked the smart brunette after a few minutes, in an effort to alleviate the awkward situation. 'Huh?' Logan blurted out, still a little distracted by the fight. 'D'you wanna come with?' Before Logan could answer, James cut in. 'Umm, thanks for the invite guys, but I thought Logan and I could spend some.. quality time together,' James said as he grasped his boyfriend's hand. Logan giggled, embarrassed and elated at the same time. Logan hadn't spent much quality time with James for quite some time. Band practice, interviews, plus he was leaving for Harvard in a few months. A whirlwind of events which sucked him in, forcing to allocate almost all of his time for those things. He barely had any time for his beloved boyfriend. Things got worse after the string of murders, which caused Logan restless nights and constant nightmares. But through them all, James was always sleeping there right next to him; ready to give him a warm hug, to whisper consoling words in his ears. Logan thought that the least he could do was have a romantic date with James, cuddling with each other while watching a movie.

* * *

'Good show tonight, guys! See you tomorrow,' Jenny Tinkler yelled exuberantly towards her Death Smash band mates. She was planning on going with her friends for a movie, but she got a call at the last minute. Apparently, they managed to book a gig at a strip club in East LA. Even though Death Smash had turned out to be a hit with the young heavy metal fan base of Los Angeles, it wasn't a large demographic. So every gig they got was precious. So she had to cancel her plans and get a cab to the venue. But now that they'd wrapped up the show, Jenny couldn't wait to get back home and spy on Logan and James. They always acted really cute when they were on dates, and Jenny liked sneaking up on them and scaring them to death. After several minutes, the cab arrived at the Palm Woods. Jenny got out of the taxi and paid the cabbie the fare, smiling at the elderly man. As she walked up the steps of the hotel, she made sure she didn't cross paths with either Officer Octavia or Jonathan, the two police officers assigned to ensure their safety. She had to sneak out under their noses, due to the whole curfew thing. Jenny then walked into the lobby and headed for the elevator. On her way, she noticed something strange; her favorite stuffed whale, Mr Humpback perched on a deck chair by the pool. She immediately suspected that one of the boys was trying to play a prank on her. So, Jenny slowly crept towards the stuffed toy while looking in all directions, anticipating a shower of ice-cold water at any second.

* * *

Logan and James were cuddling with each other, watching Logan's favorite movie; The Help. The heart-wrenching tale about the plight of African-American maids during the early 1960's always captivated the geek. He laughed during the funny parts, and shed tears whenever tragedy struck. All in all, Logan always enjoyed himself whenever he watched the flick; especially the scene where Minny reveals the 'terrible awful' she did to Miss Hilly, which was playing right now. Logan's infectious giggles rang across the room as Miss Hilly realizes what exactly is in the pie she's eating. James on the other hand, was a little less interested in the movie, and a little more interested in his cute lover. He moved in for a kiss, and for a moment it seemed that Logan was about to kiss him back. But at the last moment, he pushed James away and leapt off the couch, giggling like a six year old.

'You little tease,' James muttered with a smirk, before grabbing Logan's arm and pulling him close. 'Wanna take this into the bedroom?' James whispered sensually, his hands running up Logan's back. Logan's pale cheeks blushed as he nodded slowly. James proceeded to lift Logan bridal style, and walked towards their shared room. He playfully flung Logan onto their queen sized bed, which Mrs Knight got them as their first anniversary present. James jumped onto the bed, landing beside Logan. Even though they hadn't gone all the way yet, the couple still had frequent steamy make-out sessions. And they both knew exactly what to do to drive each other wild with lust. Logan immediately got on top of James, and leaned down to kiss him. But as he was leaning into the kiss, he noticed something strange down by the pool. Their room had an amazing view of the Palm Woods pool. Right now, Logan could see a figure that was unmistakably Jenny slowly creeping toward a deck chair. She constantly looked around her, as if searching for something. Suddenly, Logan noticed something horrifying. A black-clad figure was sneaking up behind Jenny, a gleaming machete held high. 'James, Jenny's gonna get killed!' Logan screamed as he jumped off James and ran towards the door, desperate to save his friend.

* * *

Jenny reached her intended target; the deck chair where Mr Humpback was sitting. She grabbed the whale and turned around to get back to the lobby; and stood face to face with a masked man holding a machete. It didn't take a genius to realize that it was the deranged murderer himself standing before her. Before Jenny could react, she felt a sharp stabbing pain, and realized that the killer had driven the machete straight through her neck. Jenny could feel nothing but blinding pain, as she held her cashmere scarf to her neck in a hopeless attempt to staunch the blood flow. The killer simply kicked her square in the abdomen, pushing her into the pool and filling her already blood-filled lungs with chlorinated water. Jenny tried climbing out of the pool, but the blood loss rendered her limbs too weak to function effectively. She just flopped into the water, and sank down to the bottom.

* * *

'Come on, come on, can't you go any faster?!' Logan yelled at the elevator. He didn't want to waste any time. Jenny could be fighting for her life right now, while he stood here listening to stupid instrumental music. As soon as the elevator doors slid open, Logan raced out while yelling loudly. 'Jenny, you okay?!' He ran towards the pool and gasped. 'James, we're too late,' Logan sobbed despairingly. James pulled Logan into a big hug, kissing his head comfortingly. 'Mr Mitchell, Mr Diamond, what are you two doing out past curfew?' Logan pulled his face out of James' shoulder to see the heavyset Officer Octavia standing behind him, a disapproving look plastered on her face. 'See for yourself,' James said bitterly. Officer Octavia peeked towards the pool, and her eyes grew wide. The entire pool was stained red, while splatters of blood covered a patch of ground right beside the pool. And in the middle of the horrid sight, was the floating corpse of Jenny Tinkler. 'We're in so much trouble,' Officer Octavia muttered as she reached for her walkie-talkie.


	6. Chapter 6: Revelation

'This is crazy!' Gustavo screamed shrilly at Officer Alex. 'Calm down Gustavo. I'm only doing my job,' he said in an authoritative voice. 'How am I supposed to calm down when you boneheads arrested my dogs?!' Gustavo yelled loudly. 'Gustavo, its fine. It's just a precautionary measure. Right Officer?' Kelly inquired in an upbeat tone. Officer Alex's face darkened slightly as he looked towards the ground. 'Well, actually.. .' 'Wait, you can't seriously believe that the boys did this?' Kelly asked in disbelief. 'What else do you expect us to do?! All these murders at the Palm Woods, and your boys all escape unscathed?' Officer Alex said exasperatedly. 'Plus, the latest murder gave us a vital piece of information. A personal item was used as bait to lure Miss Tinkler towards the killer's clutches. A stuffed whale, if I'm not mistaken. In that case, there's absolutely no way a complete stranger could have been responsible. It must've been someone who knew her personally, a close friend.' He looked at the assembly of teenagers seated on the leather duvet in his office. They all stared daggers at the police officer, obviously infuriated that he would even have a shadow of a thought that they were involved with the murders.

'Jenny was our best friend, doofus. Of course we didn't do it,' Camille muttered under her breath. The others nodded as well, aggravated and tired after staying up all night facing interrogation. 'Can we go home now? We're all exhausted,' Kendall mumbled into his hands. 'No. Absolutely not,' Officer Alex strictly forbade them from returning. 'Do you have any conclusive proof that connects the kids to any of the murders?' Kelly asked with her hands on her hips. 'Well, no. But my guys are combing the area for any evidence.' 'Well, until you get concrete evidence proving that one of us did it, you can't keep us,' Carlos uttered confidently, looking around for confirmation. 'He can't, can he?' 'I can, for 24 hours to be exact,' Officer Alex said in reply. 'But, I won't,' he continued, casting a small smile towards the gang. 'Get on a plane; go far, far away from this mess. Do you good, it would.'

* * *

'Alright, c'mon guys. We've booked four tickets to Minnesota, and you leave this afternoon. Mrs Knight and Katie already left earlier today. Camille, Lucy, you should probably make some plans to leave, ASAP,' Kelly chattered away while simultaneously glancing at her smartphone. She spun around with a slight flick of her flowing black hair and looked into the boys' eyes. 'Okay, guys. This has been really traumatic. I can't imagine how you're all coping with everything. But don't worry, it's gonna be over soon. You're all be making snow angels back home by.. .' 'Not so fast, Kelly.'

Kelly looked up at the source of the voice, situated behind the rest of them. They all turned to see the commanding figure of Arthur Griffin standing before them. He was flanked by a pair of ever-present personal assistants, their hands grasping a myriad of files and sheets. His cold, calculating gaze swept over every single one of them for a short while, before he finally spoke. 'Big Time Rush is not leaving LA.' 'Wait, what? Griffin, do you have any idea what's been going on at the Palm Woods the past few weeks? Kids are dying, Griffin, dying!' Kelly yelled furiously. But she immediately shut up upon seeing Griffin's piercing stare. 'I am your boss, Kelly. It would do you good to keep that in mind,' he said with an acid-laced tone. 'Anyway, I am ultimately in charge of Big Time Rush, and I say they're not going anywhere.' 'Why?' Logan asked, annoyed. 'Because I've booked you guys a few private gigs with some very rich clients. And you do not want to disappoint them,' Griffin told him. 'But what about the murderer?' Kendall said next. 'Don't worry your pretty blond head too much. I've already arranged for some extra security.'

* * *

'Two frickin' security guards?! That's what he considers extra security?!' James vented his anger on Gustavo and Kelly. 'Our hands are tied, James. We have to follow Griffin's orders, however crazy they may be,' Kelly explained with a sympathetic voice. 'Besides, I've told Freight Train to guard you guys, and he said that he's bringing a few friends over,' Gustavo said while massaging his aching temples. 'But isn't he supposed to be guarding Casa Gustavo?' Logan asked confusedly. 'My house can go without guarding for a few days. The important thing is that you're all safe,' the portly man said with a smile. Logan grinned before hugging Gustavo tightly. 'No matter how tough you act, you're just a big softie,' Carlos cooed with a chuckle. Gustavo blushed slightly before barking, 'No I'm not! Now, start practicing your harmonies!'

* * *

'So, what about you guys?' Kendall asked Camille and Lucy after Gustavo and Kelly had left. 'We're going to Barbados. Thought that the beaches and sun might help us forget this whole nightmare,' Camille said happily. 'Our plane leaves tomorrow,' Lucy added as she sat on the couch. 'Which means we've gotta pack!' Camille shouted, smacking her forehead with her palm. Lucy leapt up and dashed for the door. 'See you guys later!' she yelled as she ran out the door. Behind her, Camille walked slowly with a contemplative face, obviously making a list of what to pack. That left the boys alone in the apartment. 'So, what d'you guys want to do?' Carlos asked earnestly. 'Umm, how about some Little Big Planet?' James answered, knowing that that particular game was one of Carlos's favorites. Carlos leapt up excitedly and rushed for the game consoles. James looked at Kendall and gave him an imploring look. Kendall nodded and gave him a slight smile, before walking towards Carlos and helping him set everything up. 'What was that about?' Logan asked James. 'You'll see,' James said vaguely. He grasped Logan's hand and led him to the balcony.

'What's all this?' Logan asked upon seeing what was there; a table set with a candelabra, cutlery and a porcelain vase. 'A romantic candlelit dinner. I thought it would be nice, just you and me,' James replied while stroking Logan's shoulder tenderly. Logan smirked and hugged James tight, placing a kiss on his clean shaven cheek. James grinned and pulled a chair out, gesturing for Logan to sit there. Logan laughed; saying, 'That's so cheesy'. But he sat down anyway. James sat down in a chair located opposite Logan and snapped his fingers. Immediately, Carlos stepped out onto the balcony bearing two plates, a silly fake moustache placed above his upper lip. 'Carlos, what did I tell you about the mustache?' James asked with an irritated tone. 'I wanna wear it! It makes me feel like a real waiter,' Carlos said with a huff. 'I tried telling him, but he just wouldn't listen,' Kendall stated as he made an appearance. 'Kendall, you were in this too?' Logan asked. 'It was supposed to be a celebratory dinner for all four of us, to celebrate us leaving this hellhole. But after Griffin's fabulous idea, James asked us if he could turn it into this, and we said yes,' Kendall explained. 'Listen, I know I haven't been myself lately. I just... needed to sort a few things out, that's all. We good?' he continued. 'Glad to have you back, buddy,' Logan uttered as he hugged his best friend. 'Okay, can we get back to us?' James asked sarcastically. Logan giggled and sat back down. 'Oh, almost forgot,' James said before placing a single red rose in the vase. 'Roses, my favorite,' Logan said with a smile. 'I know.'

* * *

Meanwhile, Kelly and Gustavo were busy at Casa Gustavo. 'Okay, we have to think of a plan to ensure the boys' safety, and fast,' Gustavo boomed as he walked around the hall. 'Easier said than done!' Kelly yelled out in frustration. 'Reports, budgets, employment issues, it's all driving me crazy!' she screamed. 'Whoa, calm down, girl. Listen; go make yourself some Chinese oolong tea. It'll soothe your frazzled nerves,' Gustavo told his upset personal assistant. She nodded and began the long journey to the kitchen through Casa Gustavo's maze of hallways. Gustavo sat down on the couch and flipped through the mess of papers on the table. Just then, the doorbell rang. Gustavo walked towards a monitor on the wall, which showed live feed from every CCTV camera in the mansion. He tapped a few buttons, and looked at the transmission from the camera right above the front door. He saw the hippie gardener from the Palm Woods, Buddha Bob standing there.

'What do you want,' Gustavo barked a tad rudely. But Buddha Bob remained mute, not saying a single word. He wasn't even looking at Gustavo, preferring instead the sight of his worn out shoes. Gustavo snapped his fingers a couple of times to try and get the gardener's attention, but it was unsuccessful. 'Hello?!' he yelled, already annoyed by Buddha Bob's behaviour. Gustavo then noticed something odd. Buddha Bob seemed to be crying, his eyes lined with tears. Suddenly, Buddha Bob looked up and whispered, 'I'm sorry.' Before Gustavo could understand the underlying message those two words conveyed, Buddha Bob pulled a chainsaw out of his backpack. The roar of the menacing tool brought Gustavo to his senses. He yelled loudly to get Kelly's attention, racing towards anything he could utilize as a weapon. As he reached for a fire extinguisher, Gustavo felt a searing pain in his right calf. To his horror, his leg had been almost completely amputated by Buddha Bob. Gustavo fell to the ground, defenseless and incapacitated. He shut his eyes tight and prayed that it would end fast.

* * *

'What is it, Gustavo?' Kelly hollered loudly as she walked back from the kitchen. Just then, the roar of a chainsaw struck her ears. Her heart hammered as she crept soundlessly towards the source of the sound. When she reached the hall, Kelly gagged upon witnessing the gruesome sight before her. Gustavo lay lifeless on the floor, decapitated completely. Buddha Bob was kneeling beside him, seemingly sobbing profusely. Kelly was unsure about what to do next; her mind still clouded and dazed. In the confusion, she accidentally stumbled backwards and knocked into one of Gustavo's ceramic sculptures, which crashed to the ground. Kelly froze for a second, unable to move a muscle. Buddha Bob looked towards her with teary eyes. Kelly's terror morphed into bewilderment, as she couldn't understand how a cold-blooded killer could show any form of emotion. But her confusion vaporized in an instant as Buddha Bob grabbed his chainsaw and went for her next; his face changing from remorseful to grim.

Kelly screamed piercingly as she ran helter-skelter towards the staircase. Her plan was to lock herself in Gustavo's master bedroom, and jump off the balcony towards safety. As she hastily rushed up the stairway, Kelly tripped and fell, bashing her forehead onto the hard parquet stair step. Behind her, she heard Buddha Bob closing in on her; fast. Adrenaline surged through her veins, willing the ebony-skinned beauty to get moving. She wiped off the blood streaming down her face and continued her race towards the master bedroom, ignoring the extreme pain assaulting every nerve in her body. As soon as she reached the bedroom, Kelly slammed the door closed and pushed a heavy hardwood table against it, to make it tougher for Buddha Bob to get her. As soon as the table was in place, she heard someone pounding wildly on the door. Kelly knew that she needed help, and she sure didn't feel secure in the bedroom. The table wouldn't hold him off for long. So, Kelly stuck her hand into her pocket to get her cell phone and dialed Officer Alex's number. It kept on ringing several times, but Officer Alex still didn't answer. Kelly hung up and tried again, her hands shaking as the chainsaw started cutting through the door. _C'mon, pick up, pick up, pick up!_

* * *

Officer Alex was at home in his queen sized bed. Next to him, his wife was fast asleep, her arm draped over her husband's waist. Officer Alex was sleeping as well, but his blissful slumber was disturbed by the incessant ringing of his cell phone. He chose to ignore it at first, thinking that the caller would take the hint and call again at a more reasonable hour. But the phone kept ringing on and on, until Officer Alex was forced to answer. 'Hello?' Officer Alex said rather gruffly. _'Officer Alex, that you?!'_ a panicked voice replied. In the background, loud thumps were audible. 'Yeah, who is it?' '_It's Kelly, and I need help! The killer, he's here.. He's already killed Gustavo, and now he's coming after me! Help!'_ Kelly frantically wailed. Officer Alex's heart raced. The girl was terrified, for good reason. 'Kelly, I need you to calm down alright?' he said soothingly, trying to prevent her from getting a panic attack. 'Where are you right now?'_ 'I'm in Gustavo's bedroom. I've pushed a really heavy table against the door so he doesn't get in, but I'm not sure how long it'll last,'_ she replied. 'Are there any alternative entrances to the room?' _'Nope, only the balcony.'_ 'Okay Kelly, help will be there soon. Till then, just keep piling furniture against the door,' Officer Alex said as he rushed to put on some clothes._ 'Can do, Officer.'_ 'Oh, and Kelly, do you happen to know the killer?' _'Uh-uh. It's the gardener from the Palm Woods; Buddh-.. Aaah!'_ Officer Alex heard Kelly's piercing scream, before the phone line was cut.


	7. Chapter 7: Evil Personified

Logan sleepily rubbed his eyes and yawned loudly. He looked to his left and noticed that his boyfriend wasn't beside him. Hmm, that's weird.. James never wakes up early on a Sunday, Logan mused to himself. He smiled to himself, remembering the torture he had to undergo every time Gustavo scheduled music practice before noon on a weekend. James sure was a handful, but as Logan liked to put it, he was his handful. It helped that Logan loved to nurture and care for others. James' often childish and immature behaviour was Logan's favourite thing about him. After taking a quick shower, Logan put on a white graphic tee and a pair of black jeans. When he walked out of the door, Logan noticed that all the residents of apartment 2J were seated on the couch; none of them uttering a single syllable. 'Hey guys, what's up?' Logan asked, his curiosity piqued. James looked up at him and said, 'Logan, sweetheart.. There's something we have to tell you.' 'What?' "Well, two things actually. One good, and the other..,' he trailed off. 'The other?' Logan asked in a confused tone. 'The other, not so good,' James answered ominously as he pulled Logan into a hug. Fear gripped Logan's heart as he digested James' words.

'Tell me the bad news first. No sugar-coating, no leaving anything out. I want the complete truth,' he said firmly. 'Okay, sweetie. Gustavo and Kelly were murdered yesterday night,' James explained. Logan's eyes widened in horror upon hearing James' horrifying revelation. 'How?' Logan choked out; tears clouding his field of vision. 'Gustavo was decapitated in his living room. Kelly tried to save herself by locking herself in a bedroom and calling for help, but the police arrived too late.' Logan started sobbing uncontrollably, devastated that two more of his loved ones had fallen victim to the heartless murderer. James held Logan even closer, attempting to console his obviously distraught boyfriend. 'Wanna hear the good news now?' Kendall asked after a few minutes of silence. Logan pulled his face out of James' chest and nodded slightly. 'We found the killer.'

'Buddha Bob?!' Logan yelled in disbelief. 'There's absolutely no way he could've done it!' Kendall had just finished telling him about the incidents that took place on the night before. Several minutes after Buddha Bob had mercilessly slaughtered Kelly Wainwright, the police arrived on the scene. They found him kneeling beside Kelly's lifeless body, sobbing profusely. As soon as he was apprehended, he admitted that he was none other than the Palm Woods killer. 'But Buddha Bob was one of the kindest and most peace-loving people I'd ever met,' Logan said in a bid to defend the friendly janitor. 'Who knows how janked up that dude's was? His best friend was a plunger, for Pete's sake!' Carlos exclaimed. 'Carlos!' Kendall admonished. As Kendall and Carlos argued about Buddha Bob's mental health, Logan was reminiscing about all the good times they'd shared with him. 'It's okay, babe. It's finally over,' James whispered softly. Logan smiled up at him and said, 'I know.'

'Hey Logan, Lucy and Camille called us over to hang out,' Kendall said. 'You up to it?' Logan pondered it for a moment, before nodding in agreement. So Kendall, James, Carlos and Logan made their way to 4J, 'Maison du Camille' as she liked to call it. The boys knocked on the door and waited a few seconds before it opened. 'Welcome in, my dearies!' Camille exclaimed in a terrible impression of an evil witch's cackle. 'Hey Camille,' they greeted in unison while making their way into the elegantly designed apartment. Lucy was seated on a beige duvet, strumming her favourite guitar. She smiled at the foursome, putting the guitar away and walking up towards them. 'Shocking, wasn't it?' she said to no one in particular. 'Very,' James agreed. 'But let's not harp on the past, shall we?' he continued, glaring at the rocker chick. Lucy's eyebrows knitted in confusion, but she merely shrugged and walked away. 'Okay, I'm gonna go hit the pool. Any of you guys wanna come with?' she asked. 'I'm in!' Carlos yelled as he raced out the door. 'Me too,' Kendall said. 'What about you, James?' 'Yeah, why not?' the brunette replied. 'Logan?' 'Nah, I'll just stay here.' 'Alright,' James said in an understanding tone. He patted Logan's head and chuckled when Logan batted his hand away. 'You're lucky, you know?' a feminine voice sounded from behind Logan as soon as everyone else had left.

Logan turned to see Camille standing behind him, a small smirk etched on her face. 'Whad'ya mean?' Logan asked. 'I mean James, doofus. You're lucky to have him,' she said. 'Totally. He's the best,' Logan said in return. 'Remember the time when he asked you to be his boyfriend?' Logan smiled, recalling that magical day. James had taken him out to the zoo, the art museum and a romantic movie. He hadn't referred to it as a date, but Logan was pretty sure that it was. When they got back home at midnight, Logan noticed that Kendall and Carlos still hadn't gone to bed. Furthermore, Camille and Lucy were there as well. Even Jo was there, albeit on video chat. While Logan tried to figure out the situation, the opening of Katy Perry's Teenage Dream started to play. To Logan's surprise, James started singing to him, a la Darren Criss. At the end of the song, James got down on one knee, held out a ring, and uttered, 'Logan, will you be my boyfriend?'

'James was such a drama queen,' Camille giggled. 'Still is, actually,' Logan laughed as well. 'But he's your drama queen,' Camille said in a saccharine-sweet voice, batting her eyelashes. 'Weenie,' Logan said, shoving Camille playfully. They sat there chuckling for a few minutes, followed by a few minutes of awkward silence. 'Hey Logan?' 'Yeah Camille?' 'I wanna show you something,' she replied, standing up and walking towards her bedroom. Logan followed her into the room, and gasped.

'Whad'ya think?' Camille asked shyly, pointing towards a corner of her room. Camille had created an intricate shrine, with steps leading up to a circular pedestal. Each of the steps was labelled with a different name, and had random stuff strewn on them. On the uppermost pedestal was a diorama of a beautiful grove; verdant trees encircling the circular board. Bushes and flowers dotted the scene, while a functioning fountain sat in the middle. Miniature figurines of Buddha Bob's victims were the finishing touch. Logan noticed Jo preening her flowing blonde hair as she sat by the fountain; Tyler running with a tiny whale in his hands, Jenny in hot pursuit behind him; Officer Denise sitting by a bed of daises. 'Camille, it's.. It's beautiful!' Logan exclaimed. 'Thanks,' Camille blushed slightly. 'I work on it whenever I get nightmares and can't get back to sleep. BTW, d'you happen to have any of Gustavo or Kelly's personal stuff? I need some to complete the whole thing,' she said. 'I'll see what I can do,' Logan told her. Just then, Logan's phone rang. 'Oh, it's a text from James. Apparently, they've ordered pizza and they want us to meet them down at the pool. You coming?' Logan asked Camille. 'No thanks, Logie. I wanna work on the Kelly and Gustavo sculptures,' she said with an apologetic expression. 'Okay then. See you later, Cam,' Logan said, flashing his signature smile.

Camille got to work sculpting Kelly's likeness out of modelling clay. She already had a basic humanoid structure, so she started working on the details. Many people didn't know that in addition to the theatrical arts, Camille was also a very talented artist. She used an ice-cream stick to smoothen out the uneven patches, and a sharp skewer for the details. As Camille was working on Kelly's dress, her mind drifted to the earlier conversation she had just five minutes ago. Logan wasn't the only lucky one in his relationship. James was pretty fortunate as well. Logan was one of the sweetest, kindest and most responsible boys she'd ever met. Most guys before him never really cared for her; their sole aim was to get in her pants. When Logan and the other three Minnesota boys moved to the Palm Woods, Camille thought that they weren't any different from every other guy she'd dated. But Logan turned out to be unique, special even. He tolerated her over-dramatic tendencies, and her constant slaps and tackles. When Logan came out and started dating James, Camille was extremely disappointed. 'Oh Logie, if you only knew how much I still..'

Just then, Camille's phone rang. She noticed that the caller was an 'unknown number', as her phone said. 'Hello?' she said. 'Camille Roberts. Method acting queen of the Palm Woods,' a creepy voice uttered. 'Who is this?' she asked, a little freaked out by the strange tone the caller employed. 'Well, lately I've been referred to as.. The Palm Woods killer.' Camille's heart rate doubled and her hands started trembling. 'Liar!' she screeched. 'Buddha Bob's been arrested! He's the killer!' 'Oh Camille, how little you know. But don't worry; it'll all be clear soon. While waiting, maybe you should continue working on your Kelly figurine,' he said with a chuckle. Camille's jaw practically dropped to the ground. Goosebumps formed on her skin as she realized the killer could see what she was doing. 'H-how did you know that?' she asked shakily. 'Camille darling, you really should learn to lock your door.' At that moment, she felt someone restrain her from behind. She tried to break free from the stranger's clutches, but a sweet-smelling cloth was pressed to her face. Camille's struggles reduced in intensity as she began to faint. Before she passed out completely, the cloth was removed from her face and she caught an unobstructed glimpse of her attacker's face. 'Oh God, you're..' Camille breathed out before the chloroform she inhaled dragged her down into unconsciousness.

'Hey Loges, sit down and grab a slice,' Carlos said upon seeing Logan approaching the group. 'Where's Camille?' Kendall asked confusedly. 'You did tell to come, right?' 'Yeah I did, but she wanted to work on her memorial instead,' Logan shrugged. 'Have you guys seen it? It's absolutely breathtaking!' 'It sure is. And it calms her down. She was really traumatized after seeing Jo's..' Lucy's voice cracked a little. 'We're all really messed up after the whole thing. Thankfully it's over,' Logan consoled. 'Come on, we're gonna have a cannonball competition! Whoever can make the biggest splash wins!' Carlos yelled excitedly. 'You guys knock yourselves out. I'm going for a drive,' Lucy said. 'Suit yourself. Come on Logan!' Kendall shouted before cannonballing into the pool, Carlos following right after. Logan grinned at his best friends' antics, and then something hit him. 'Hey guys, where's James?' he asked the two boys frolicking in the pool. 'He said he had something important to do!' Kendall hollered back as he splashed water right into Carlos' face. Important? Like what? Logan wondered.

Lucy was taking a slow drive, to nowhere in particular; just to think. Her mind fluttered like an iridescent butterfly; never staying on one topic for long. But her thoughts frequently drifted towards one thing, or rather one person. 'Kendall Knight,' she muttered with a sigh. When she first saw the dreamy blond, it was as if Cupid had shot one of his magical love arrows straight through her heart. Unfortunately, Kendall had already been taken, by her good friend Jo Taylor. When Jo moved to New Zealand, Lucy was hoping that Kendall might give her a shot. But he didn't fall for any of Lucy's romantic advances; ignoring every single one completely. Over time, Lucy accepted the fact that Kendall was the world's most faithful boyfriend, and started to forget her infatuation with him. 'But now that Jo is dead, he'll have no choice but to accept me,' she said, a determined glint in her eye. Yes Kendall Knight, tonight you shall be mine!

'Logan? You there?' James asked as he entered apartment 2J at 7pm. When James called him earlier, Logan said that he was here. James was anxious, very anxious. He'd planned the whole night meticulously, and nothing should go wrong. No, nothing will go wrong, James mentally told himself. Everything will go just as I planned. Now, if only I could find Logan.. 'Jamie? That you?' Logan's voice emanated from their bedroom. 'Bingo,' James whispered. 'Logan, come on out! There's something I wanna tell you!' he hollered. 'What did you wanna talk about?' Logan said as he walked out of the room. His hair was mussed up and was rubbing his eyes with his knuckles; leading James to believe that he had just taken a nap. 'Do up your hair and put on something nice. We're going out,' James told Logan. 'Out where?' 'Less talking, more walking,' James replied with a grin. A few minutes later, Logan stepped out of the room, looking presentable. 'This okay?' he asked James. 'Perfect. Now c'mon, let's go. I've got the entire night planned out,' he said, pulling Logan in for a gentle kiss.

'That was one of the best nights ever!' Logan said, leaning his head on James' shoulder. First, James took him to the LA County Museum of Art, which was a huge sacrifice on his part, as museums bored James to death. But Logan loved them, so James willingly endured two hours of abject boredom for the sake of his nerdy boyfriend. Next, James took Logan to Nozu, a Japanese restaurant near Hollywood Arts High School. Logan absolutely adored Japanese cuisine, so this was one of their favourite hangout spots. They talked about random stuff over colourful platters of sashimi and sushi. Finally, James brought Logan to a beautiful rose garden a few blocks from the Palm Woods, where they danced and sang together. Now they both sat on the grass, looking at the twinkling stars in the sky.

'Hey Logie, want a Coke?' James asked. 'Yeah sure,' Logan replied, realizing just how parched his throat was after all the laughing and singing. 'Hold on, they're in the trunk. Be right back!' James said, getting up and running towards his car. Five minutes later, he came back with two chilled Cokes in his hands. 'What took you so long?' Logan asked while reaching for one of the cans. 'My key was spazzing out,' he said quickly. 'Drink up, babe.' Logan took a sip and frowned. There was something weird about the taste, something he couldn't quite place. 'What's wrong?' James asked, noticing Logan's perplexed face. 'Nothing really. Just- Nah, it's nothing,' Logan said, not wanting to disturb James with petty matters. He continued to gulp the carbonated cola down, alleviating his dry gullet. 'Wanna head home?' James asked once he was done. 'Sure,' Logan held his hand out and allowed James to lead him to the car. As James was driving, Logan's eyelids felt really heavy, and his head started spinning. 'Jamie, I feel woozy,' he slurred. 'I know, babe. I know,' James replied with a grin. 'Huh? What-' 'Shh, don't fight it Loges. Put your head on my lap and relax. Okay?' James said soothingly before pulling Logan head down onto his lap.

'I think he's awake. Carlos, Camille, he's awake!' a female voice said. 'Loges? Logan! Wake up, buddy!' a more masculine voice urged. 'Huh?' Logan sleepily moaned. Logan heard another female voice say, 'Hold on, let me try!' before he felt a sharp blow on his right cheek. 'Ow!' Logan's eyes popped open and he sat up, rubbing his assaulted cheek. 'Really Camille? Slapping him?' Carlos said, shaking his head in disappointment. 'What? It worked, right?' Camille retorted in a bid to justify her actions. Logan noticed that he was in Camille's apartment, but he also noticed stranger things. Carlos, Jennifer 3 and Camille's hands and legs were tied with rope; Carlos and Jennifer's clothes were stained with deep red splotches; and Carlos had a huge gash on his forehead. 'Whoa, what's going on here? Why are you guys tied up? Wait- Why am I tied up?!' Logan started panicking. 'Logan, relax!' the black-haired Jennifer said. 'Want me to slap him again?' Camille asked with a smirk. 'Absolutely not, Camille. Logan, listen up. We don't have much time, so-' 'Time for what?!' Logan yelled, evidently terrified. 'Logan, could you shut up?! Lemme explain,' Jennifer said firmly. Logan nodded, his eyes wide and unblinking. 'Okay, we don't really know much. But here's what we do know. Buddha Bob isn't the Palm Woods killer. We have no idea why he confessed, but there is no way he's the sole culprit,' she said, her face grim. 'Then who?' Logan asked. Jennifer placed her hand on Logan's shoulder and hesitated for a moment, before saying, 'James.'

'James?! No way, absolutely no frickin' way!' Logan shouted, angry that they would even suggest the idea. 'Logan, I know you know him as your loving boyfriend, but he's the one. No doubt about it,' Jennifer said sharply, in an effort to make Logan understand. 'How dare you say something like that? Why I ought to-' 'Logan, do you see either of the other two Jennifers here?' she said, her voice wavering slightly. Logan shook his head, not noticing the pair of fashionistas. 'Well, FYI, they're both bleeding to death back in our apartment, thanks to your boyfriend! They were trying to protect me, because they thought he was gonna rape me again!' she screamed, her eyes filling with tears. 'Rape?' Logan whispered in horror. 'Yes Logan. Your seemingly angelic boyfriend isn't as pure as you think.' 'Oh Jennifer, I- I'm so sorry,' Logan wasn't sure how to react to Jennifer's tale. 'Alright Jen, I'll take it from here,' Camille said, patting the blubbering girl's back.

'A few minutes after you left my apartment, I got a call from a stranger. He was really creepy, and he told me that he was the Palm Woods murderer. Suddenly, he attacked from behind me and subdued me with chloroform. Just before I passed out, I managed to see his face, and it.. It was James, Logie. James attacked me. When I woke up, I was here, hogtied like this. Not long after, James walked in, dragging Carlos along with him. He left Carlos next to me, gave me a sinister smile, and walked out. Carlos was badly hurt, so I tried to give him some first aid,' she said. 'She could really give you a run for your money, Logan. Her doctoring skills are superb,' Carlos laughed. 'Thanks Carlos. Anyway, he came in with Jennifer slung over his shoulder after that. She was still struggling a little, but she was no match for James. After that, nothing much happened until he carried you in here,' she finished her macabre retelling of the evening's occurrences.

'So wait, if he's the Palm Woods killer, why hasn't he killed us yet?' Logan asked the most obvious question. 'My guess is, he's probably gonna gather us all before performing the final massacre,' Camille said morbidly. 'Wait, that means Kendall and Lucy are still in danger!' Logan yelled. 'We know. We wanted to warn them, but James already took our cell phones,' Carlos said dejectedly. 'But I still have mine,' Logan shouted exuberantly. The other three shouted victoriously as they crawled as fast as they could towards Logan. They all groped Logan's pants to try and get to his phone. Finally, Jennifer managed to grab it. 'Logan, when was the last time you charged your phone?!' 'Umm, a few days back?' Logan smiled bashfully. 'Great. Just great. The battery's almost dead. It'll probably be enough for just one call,' she complained. 'Well, that's all we need, right?' Carlos said. 'Wait, don't you think we should call for help instead?' Camille asked. They all looked at each other, realizing the importance of the decision they were now forced to make. On one hand, they'd save Lucy and Kendall, who might be able to get away and call for help. On the other hand, they'd save themselves, but may jeopardize their good friends' lives in the process. After a few minutes of quiet contemplation, they unanimously agreed to call Lucy.

Jennifer scrolled through Logan's contact list, searching for Lucy's name. 'A-ha, got it!' Ring, ring. Ring, ring. Ring, ring. 'Come on Lucy, pick up!' she yelled frantically, terrified lest James walk in at that point. 'Hey Logan, what up?,' Lucy finally picked up. 'Lucy, listen carefully. It's Jennifer. We don't have much time, so no questions. James is the Palm Woods killer. He's abducted Carlos, Camille, Logan and me, and he's probably gonna go for you and Kendall next. So go find Kendall and get the hell outta here!'. 'What about you guys? I'm not leaving you behind to die!' 'Lucy, you can call for help, but make sure you save yourselves first!' Jennifer cut the line before Lucy could reply. 'Let's just hope she listens to us,' Carlos commented. 'Doesn't sound like the Lucy we know,' Camille said sadly. Just then, something important occurred to Logan. 'Hey guys, I just thought of something. James can't be the killer.' 'Logie, you're in denial. We've seen how brutal he can get,' Jennifer said. 'No, that's not it. I was with James when Jenny was killed. We saw the murderer creep up behind her!' The others looked at Logan, considering that crucial piece of information. 'That doesn't make any sense, unless..'

Lucy Stone was extremely confused. Jennifer's phone call had shocked her to her rocker chick core. She had been walking into the Palm Woods lobby at the time of the call, and was running like a headless chicken through the corridors, desperately trying to find Kendall. She'd tried calling him several times, but he hadn't picked up at all. As she raced through the halls, her brain whirred; trying desperately to formulate a plan. The basic idea was to enlist Kendall's help and confront James together. Their combined strength might be able to overpower James. As Lucy turned around a corner, she slammed right into the blond boy. 'Kendall, you have no idea how glad I am to see you!' she exclaimed in elation. 'Yeah, I could say the same,' he replied. 'Listen, James is-' 'Shh, Lucy. I have something to tell you. Something important,' he whispered with a grin. Kendall grabbed Lucy by the waist and pulled her close. 'After Jo died, I was devastated. But then, I realized something. I was never really in love with her. Not after you showed up, that is,' he said suggestively. Lucy's mind went into overdrive, as she understood what Kendall was trying to say. 'You're in love with me?' Kendall nodded, before lifting Lucy's head up and leaning down towards her. Lucy shut her eyes in anticipation, waiting to feel the touch of her crush's lips against hers. Suddenly, she felt a searing pain in her lower back. Lucy opened her eyes to see the loving look in Kendall's eyes disappear; replaced instead with a crazed and manic glint. 'A shame you had to die. You would've made a pretty good girlfriend. Oh well.'

'She's gonna die, she's gonna die, she's gonna DIE!' Carlos babbled incoherently. 'Carlos, shut up! She's not gonna die!' Camille yelled, trying to silence the distraught Latino. 'Camille, if Kendall is also a killer, what do you think he's gonna do when she comes running straight into his arms?' Jennifer said. 'NOOOOO!' Carlos screamed. 'Look at what you just did! Good work, Jennifer!' Camille shouted, starting an argument between the two girls. Logan looked around at the chaos that surrounded him. His friends were obviously terrified, and the stress was getting to them. 'Guys, guys, calm down! Everyone-' Just then, the door opened, and James walked into the apartment. His eyes roved across the room, focusing on Logan. 'Logie, you're awake!' he uttered excitedly, and approached him with a huge smile. 'Get away from me, James. You're a monster,' Logan said, turning away from James. 'Oh baby, I'm sorry I had to tie you up,' James pouted and tried to stroke Logan's cheek. Logan jerked his head away and said, 'That's not it! You killed all those people, most of them our close friends! What kind of animal does that, James?'

'Jamie, I'm back!' another voice came from the door. Everyone turned to see Kendall walk in, his plaid shirt stained with numerous dark splotches. 'Is that-' 'Liquid Lucy Stone, yes,' he said with a roguish grin. 'Lucy!' Camille, Jennifer, Carlos and Logan screamed simultaneously. 'It was too easy. She ran right into me, like a lobster into the broiling pot. But she seemed really anxious. It was as if she knew about- Did any of you guys call her?' Kendall asked suspiciously. 'We did!' Carlos yelled defiantly. 'How? I thought James took all of your phones.' 'He forgot to frisk Mr Mitchell over there,' Jennifer said with a smirk. 'James!' 'What? I didn't think it was necessary,' James tried to defend himself. 'See, you're letting your own emotions cloud your judgement. What if Lucy had called for help before I found her? What if they called the cops themselves?' Kendall admonished him. 'Well, nothing like that happened, right? So I don't see what's the big deal,' James said with a huff. 'You're impossible,' Kendall shook his head.

'How could you guys?' Camille interrupted. 'How could you snuff out all those innocent lives?' Kendall looked at her and smiled. 'Remember that time when James and I went to visit my cousin Sam in Seattle? We didn't actually go to Seattle. Instead, I booked two tickets for a flight to Wellington, to see Jo. We hadn't met face to face for so long, so I was really looking forward to it. I didn't tell anyone because I wanted it to be a total surprise. I walked up to her hotel room, a bouquet of flowers in my hands, when I heard..' Kendall paused for a moment, his face portraying utter disgust. 'I heard moaning coming from inside the room. It just got louder and louder and louder until she screamed.. 'Oh Jett!',' he yelled in a feminine, high-pitched imitation of Jo. 'After that, James and I went to this pub and got flat out wasted. One thing led to another and before you knew it, I woke up the next morning in bed next to James.' Logan glared murderously at James, who hung his head in obvious shame. 'Anyway, I started shouting about how I was gonna make both Jo and Jett pay for it. Then, James suggested that I kill both of them. So we started planning about how we were gonna do it, and it slowly grew into what it is now,' he concluded.

'So James, let's continue with our plan,' Kendall said, taking his blood stained shirt off and tossing it to James. 'Okie dokie,' James nodded, walking towards Carlos. 'Wait, what are you doing?' Carlos asked fearfully as James ripped his T-shirt off and replaced it with Kendall's shirt. 'Why Carlos? Don't you remember stabbing Lucy with this machete?' Kendall asked sarcastically, holding a machete in his gloved hands. 'Wait, you need his fingerprints,' James said. He took the knife and forced Carlos to hold it in his hands. 'There, perfect. Next, the Jennifers. Their throats slit with that exact penknife,' James said, pointing towards a small penknife on the coffee table. 'Her clothes are already stained with their blood, so that saved us a lot of work,' James explained to Kendall. 'Hugging your best friends' corpses wasn't such a good idea now, was it?' Kendall laughed. 'You bastards! You'll burn in hell, both of you!' Jennifer screamed hysterically. 'So, here's what happened,' James continued, unfazed by Jennifer's curses. 'Carlos and Jennifer 3 were the real Palm Woods killers. They were responsible for every single murder. Tonight was going to be their final massacre. They drugged Camille, Logan, Kendall and I; tying us up and trapping us in here. Jennifer was about to do the same to the other two, but they discovered her plan. A struggle ensued, where Jennifer 3 emerged victorious. Meanwhile, Carlos found Lucy and tried taking her down, but she was too gutsy to be subdued. So, Carlos had no choice other than stabbing her to death. Now they stood before their captives, choosing who to kill first.'

'Well, that's a perfectly crafted story genius. But you forgot one tiny detail; the dozens of cameras situated all around the place. Everything would've been recorded and transmitted to the police. In fact, I bet the coppers are on their way right now,' Camille said smugly. 'Oh Camille, we already took care of that. I shot Bitters twice in the forehead and disabled all the cameras from his office,' Kendall replied with a smirk. 'You killed Bitters too?' Logan asked, to which Kendall nodded vigorously. 'Okay, so why did Buddha Bob confess? Why did he kill Kelly and Gustavo?' Carlos demanded. 'Not many people know this, but the one person Buddha Bob loves more than anyone else is his son, Jake,' James answered. 'Buddha Bob has a child?' Camille asked in astonishment. 'Yup. His three year old kid. We kidnapped him about a week back. In exchange for his son's safety, we told Buddha Bob to kill Kelly and Gustavo and confess to all the murders.' 'Why?' Jennifer asked. 'So that the police wouldn't be too focused on us, duh. Oh, that reminds me. Kendall, we've taken care of the boy, haven't we?' 'Yeah. Last time I checked, he was hanging on the big oak tree in his backyard with a noose around his neck. Won't take long before someone finds him.' 'You killed him?!' Jennifer shrieked. Kendall merely shrugged nonchalantly. Jennifer started hurling insults at the two boys, before James pointed his gun at her. His eyes dared her to say another word. Jennifer shut up.

'Which brings us back to our story. Now, Carlos and Jennifer got into an argument over who to kill first, which led to a fight between the two. Carlos landed a punch to Jennifer's jaw,' James said, looking expectantly at Kendall. Kendall nodded and kneeled down next to Jennifer, punching her square in the face. Jennifer shrieked in pain, her nose bloody and broken. She spat a bloody tooth out onto the floor. 'I said jaw, Kendall. But I guess nose could work as well. Now, Jennifer was down but definitely not out. She grabbed the pistol and fired two bullets into Carlos' brain. Instant death,' James grinned evilly at Carlos. 'No, no wait! You wanted revenge on Jo and Jett, so killing them is acceptable. Wrong, but acceptable. Why go after the rest of us?' Carlos asked.

'Carlos, if we die today, how will the world remember us? As four teenagers from a stupid boy band. That's not how I wanna go down in history!' James stamped his feet. 'This way, I'll be legendary! Kendall only wanted to exact revenge on Jo and Jett, and I wanted to be famous. So I managed to convince Kendall to take it just a little further. Kendall went after Jett first. Wrote a note saying Jett was going to Antarctica to save the penguins or something, and forged his signature. Funny thing is, everyone actually believed that crap. No one will ever know that Jett Stetson's mangled body is now lying at the bottom of the Cook Strait. After that, we just killed people one by one. I'm not gonna be remembered as a pretty boy, but as the sole survivor of the Palm Woods massacre!' James finished dramatically. 'Wait, what do you mean, 'sole survivor'?' Kendall asked distrustfully. 'Yeah Kendall, I wanted to talk to you about this. Two survivors just isn't as remarkable,' James said with a faux regretful tone. Kendall rushed towards James furiously, but James calmly drew his gun and fired straight at his heart. Kendall fell to the ground lifeless; his face still contorted with rage.

The captive teens stared at James in horror, terrified after seeing James' callous manner of killing his partner in crime. 'Now, who should I kill first?' he asked mockingly. 'Maybe I'll start with the bitch who prevented me from being with my Logie for so long!' Camille instinctively cringed, her eyes wide as James pointed the barrel of the gun at her forehead. Before he could pull the trigger, Carlos hollered 'For justice!' and lunged at James, knocking the gun out of his hand. Carlos butted James' head with his, the ropes severely restricting the movement of his limbs. In retaliation, James punched Carlos in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him. As Carlos gasped in pain, James grabbed the gun and placed it against Carlos' temple. 'Goodbye Los. You were a good friend. Sorry you have to die,' he told the defenceless boy before firing a single shot. Carlos stopped writhing.

Logan's head started spinning. He heard Camille and Jennifer screaming shrilly in the background, hurling insults and curses at James. He looked at Carlos' still body, the trademark playful twinkle slowly fading for all eternity from his eyes. Logan stared at James with pure hatred. At least Kendall was a heartless scumbag; the sadness Logan felt when he was killed was somewhat nullified with the knowledge that he had slaughtered so many other innocents. But Carlos boldly sacrificed his own life, just to ensure Camille's safety. He would never step into university, never get married, get kids; all because of James. James' voice suddenly pulled him back to reality. 'Oh, don't go thinking that Carlos saved you. He just prolonged your life for a few minutes. But that ends now.' Logan noticed a deranged happiness in James' voice, almost as if he was enjoying Camille's fear. 'Do you have any idea how much work I put into seducing naive little Logie over there? I was this close to making him mine, when you just had to waltz in and confuse him.' He paced around Camille, who was cowering on the ground tearfully. 'I had to wait months before you finally let go of him. For that, you'll pay, big time.' James grabbed Camille by the throat and stared into her dark sparkling eyes. 'Don't worry princess, this won't hurt, much!' he laughed maniacally.

'Wait, James!' Logan yelled before James could begin his torture. 'Don't hurt her, please? Just- make it quick, okay?' Logan begged desperately. Even though they'd broken up long ago; Logan still felt a sort of brotherly affection for the brunette. He couldn't just sit by and watch her be tormented. James looked at Logan, and for a moment, seemed torn between his hate for Camille and his love for Logan. 'Oh alright Logie, but just for you,' he relented finally. 'Any last words, skank?' he said, pointing the gun directly towards her forehead. 'Logie, listen,' Camille said, looking at the spiky haired lad. 'Before I go- It's just that you're the most wonderful guy I've ever met. The only one who didn't ask for sex on the first date. You're adorable, kind and cute as a button. And I just want you to know that, I never stopped lov-' Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Camille slumped to the floor, the upper portion of her once gorgeous face now just a bloody red mess of gore. James was breathing deeply, obviously infuriated by Camille's final speech.

Suddenly, James turned towards Logan, an eerily cheerful smile plastered on his face. 'You scared, Logie?' he asked sympathetically. 'Don't worry; it'll all be over soon. I promise.' James then stood up stiffly and walked towards Jennifer, who up till then had been vacantly staring at the two dead bodies. As James got closer and closer, her attention turned towards the advancing killer, and she started hyperventilating. Jennifer screamed shrilly and tried crawling away, even though the ropes around her wrists and ankles made it virtually impossible to move. 'Get away from me, you psycho! Don't touch me!' Logan suddenly recalled how Jennifer told him that James had raped her before. Logan's extensive medical knowledge included the behavior of someone afflicted with Rape Trauma Syndrome, and Jennifer's reactions mirrored that exactly. She was screaming hysterically even though James hadn't even touched her. James approached her slowly and squatted down next to the whimpering girl.

'Shut up, bitch,' James said harshly, clenching her slender neck tightly. His fingernails dug into the girl's tanned skin; beads of blood dripping onto her designer beige top. 'Listen, I don't wanna make this hard for you, alright? So just close your eyes and say a prayer or something. Just don't fight it and I'll try to make it painless,' James said, his voice soothing and calm. Logan thought it was scary how James' personality could transform in the blink of an eye. Just then, James caressed Jennifer's shoulder lightly. Jennifer spat in his face without a second thought. 'So that's how you wanna do it,' James said, the steely tone returning. He stuffed the gun into Jennifer's mouth roughly and smirked. 'Remember when I did this to you with my own 'gun'?' he said before pulling the trigger. Jennifer's head jerked back abruptly as blood sprayed all over the wall behind her. She slumped onto an ottoman next to her.

James stared at Jennifer's body for a while, before remembering that Logan was right there behind him. He swivelled around and saw Logan staring at him, anger and betrayal evident in his gaze. 'Logan-' 'Shut up, James. I don't wanna hear it!' Logan said sternly. 'Just go ahead and kill me, alright? Go ahead. Do it like you did to everyone else.' Every word Logan said crushed James' heart into tinier and tinier pieces. 'Logan, I don't wanna kill you,' James said softly, his eyes brimming with tears. He saw Logan's eyes widen with surprise, and he knitted his eyebrows the way he does whenever he's thinking. 'Whaddya mean you don't wanna kill me?' 'It doesn't have to end like this. We could live on as the only survivors of one of the worst serial killings in American history. We'd become gods, immortal. And best of all, we'll be able to spend the rest of our lives together,' James said hopefully. Logan cocked his head slightly, obviously thinking about James' proposition. Please, please, please say yes, James begged in his mind. About five minutes later, Logan looked straight into James' eyes and said, 'I'm sorry James, but I'll never be able to live with a monster like you.' 'I'm not a monster, Logie,' James defended him in a weak voice. He tried putting his hand on Logan's, and flinched when Logan pulled his hand away. 'Not a monster? James, you took a poor girl's virginity forcefully, permanently scarring her in the process. You convinced an emotionally unstable boy to commit a series of horrific murders. You blackmailed an innocent man into killing two people and getting himself arrested; then broke your promise to him by killing his son. Not to mention the fact that you slaughtered your own best friends with your own hands. I think that would be enough to classify you as a monster.' 'Logan, I know I did all those things, but trust me. We could go back to living our normal lives, if you just come with me,' James pleaded, his voice cracking with grief. Logan looked at James and smiled. 'Jamie, things are never gonna go back to normal.' James started sobbing. 'Just pull the trigger Jamie. Do it,' Logan insisted. James placed the gun against Logan's temple, devastated that he was being forced to kill his own boyfriend. 'Logie, please don't make me do this,' James begged. Logan silenced him with a stare. James shut his eyes tight and pulled the trigger slowly, waiting until.. Bam! James dropped his gun and collapsed to the floor, bawling at the fact that he had just murdered the person he loved the most in this world.

After a few minutes, James stood up and wiped the tears off his face. There would be time for mourning later. Now he needed to complete his plan. 'Okay, Carlos and Kendall were the real killers. They murdered Jo, Tyler, Officer Denise and Jenny. They were also responsible for the entire Buddha Bob incident,' James muttered to himself, trying to create a believable story for the police. 'Earlier today, they drugged Camille and Logan, tied them up and locked them up in here. Then, they went after the Jennifers. Jennifer 3 somehow managed to convince the boys into letting her live, in exchange for killing the other two girls herself, slitting their throats with this knife.' James cut the ropes restraining Carlos and Jennifer, and then rubbed Jennifer's fingers all over the knife to get her prints. 'Then she went up to Camille's apartment to keep an eye on the captives. Carlos and Kendall on the other hand, went out to look for me and Lucy. Carlos stabbed Lucy in a corridor and went back up to the room. There, Carlos sees that Jennifer had already executed Camille. An argument broke out between Carlos and Jennifer, which quickly turned into a full-on fight. After a fierce battle, Jennifer managed to shoot Carlos dead. Just then, I walked into the room, with no idea of what's going on. Jennifer immediately fired two shots at me, which lodged in my shoulder,' James said before turning the gun towards himself and firing twice. Searing pain surged through his body, but he clenched his jaw and continued with his story. 'I rushed towards Jennifer and try to overcome her. We struggled for a while until I managed to wrestle the gun out of her hand and shoot her in self-defence. I tried to undo the ropes restraining Logan when Kendall walked into the room. He immediately barrelled towards me and started throwing punches at me.' James punched and hit himself so hard that welts and bruises formed all over his face and torso. 'After he beat me up to the point of unconsciousness, he killed Logan in front of me and started laughing. That made me so furious that I lunged towards Kendall and swatted the gun out of his hand. I grabbed it and killed Kendall before he could get to me. Then I called the police,' James finished and dialled Officer Alex's number. 'And James Diamond lived happily ever after,' he said gleefully. But his eyes focused on the lifeless body of Logan Mitchell, and a pang of sadness blossomed in his heart. Not completely happy, he thought. As he waited for Officer Alex to pick up, he noticed a faint electronic glow illuminating Logan's black T-shirt. He crept up towards it and saw that it was Logan's phone. James gasped when he saw what the screen displayed. The phone was still connected to a certain Officer Alex, and had been for the past ten minutes. 'Ten minutes? That would mean..' Just then, he heard the door being busted down behind him. As the cops handcuffed him and read him his Miranda rights, all James Diamond could think about was: I guess I'll be seeing you real soon, Logie.


End file.
